U.S. patent number 8,458,951 [Application Number 13/301,903] was granted by the patent office on 2013-06-11 for leader storage device.
The grantee listed for this patent is William H Taylor. Invention is credited to William H Taylor.
United States Patent |
8,458,951 |
Taylor |
June 11, 2013 |
Leader storage device
Abstract
A card-like device for storing and retrieving multiple sizes of
leader materials in a shirt pocket size configuration in which all
the housed leader material sizes are clearly and always visible and
which permits quick and easy finding of the stored leader material
ends, and firm retention and easy grasping of same.
Inventors: |
Taylor; William H (South
Deerfield, MA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Taylor; William H |
South Deerfield |
MA |
US |
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Family
ID: |
46125691 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/301,903 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2011 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120131844 A1 |
May 31, 2012 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61458525 |
Nov 26, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
43/54.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K
97/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01K
97/06 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;43/54.1,57.1,57.2
;206/63.3 ;242/125,125.1-125.3,127,222 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Berona; Kimberly
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carter, DeLuca, Farrell &
Schmidt, LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/458,525, filed Nov. 26, 2010 by the present
inventor, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference as if repeated herein.
Claims
I claim:
1. A leader retention system comprising a base having a top edge; a
bottom edge; a first side edge; a second side edge; a front face; a
back face; at least one pair of corresponding notches in the top
edge and the bottom edge of the base configured and dimensioned to
receive a length of leader wrapped around the base against the
front face and back face of the base; a retention pad recess; a
slit in an edge of the base extending to the retention pad recess
to facilitate placement of the leader into the retention pad; and
at least one retention pad fixedly disposed adjacent one of the
notches to receive and hold the leader end, the at least one
retention pad including a retention pad slit for receiving a
portion of the leader, the at least one retention pad located in
the retention pad recess and substantially flush with at least one
of the front and back faces of the base, wherein the at least one
retention pad is offset from the corresponding pair of notches such
that the end of a leader extending to the retention pad extends
from the one of the notches at an angle to the axis defined between
the pair of notches.
2. The leader retention system of claim 1 wherein the retention pad
is an elastomeric pad.
3. The leader retention system of claim 1 wherein the retention pad
is silicone rubber.
4. The leader retention system of claim 1 further comprising a
plurality of corresponding notch pairs.
5. The leader retention system of claim 4 wherein each notch pair
has an associated retention pad.
6. The leader retention system of claim 1 further comprising a
label recess in a surface of the base, the label recess disposed
below the leader end extending from the notch to the retention pad
to facilitate grasping of the leader end by a user.
7. The retention system of claim 1 further comprising at least one
indicia attached to the base adjacent a leader providing
characteristics of the leader.
8. The retention system of claim 1 wherein the edges of the base
are chamfered or rounded to facilitate insertion and removal of the
device from a pocket.
9. The leader retention system of claim 1, wherein the retention
pad is fixedly attached to the base using a cement.
10. The leader retention system of claim 1, wherein the top edge of
the base includes at least one slit for guiding an end of the
leader into the retention pad slit of the at least one retention
pad.
11. The leader retention system of claim 1, wherein the retention
pad slit of the at least one retention pad is oriented towards the
front face of the base.
12. A method of storing a fishing leader comprising: Providing a
retention device including a base having a top edge; a bottom edge;
a front face; a back face; at least one pair of corresponding
notches in the top edge and the bottom edge of the base configured
and dimensioned to receive a length of leader wrapped around the
base against the front face and back face of the base; a retention
pad recess; a slit in an edge of the base extending to the
retention pad recess to facilitate placement of the leader into the
retention pad; and at least one retention pad fixedly disposed
adjacent one of the notches to receive and hold the leader end, the
at least one retention pad including a retention pad slit for
receiving a portion of the leader, the at least one retention pad
located in the retention pad recess and substantially flush with at
least one of the front and back faces of the base, wherein the at
least one retention pad is offset from the corresponding pair of
notches such that the end of a leader extending to the retention
pad extends from the one of the notches at an angle to the axis
defined between the pair of notches; winding a leader around the
base such that the length of the leader extends around the base
against the front face and the back face, and through the notches
between the front face and the back face; and placing the leader
end in the retention pad.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of placing the leader
in the retention pad comprises placing the leader into a cut in the
retention pad.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of placing the leader
in the retention pad comprises inserting the leader end through a
slit extending from an edge of the base to a retention pad recess,
and into a cut in the retention pad disposed in the retention pad
recess.
15. The method of claim 12 further comprising: grasping a portion
of the leader; and pulling the portion of the leader
perpendicularly to the base such that the leader end is released
from the at least one retention pad.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising: unwinding a desired
length of the leader from the base; and cutting the desired length
of the leader.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This application relates to devices and methods for storing lines,
and more particularly, to devices and methods for storing leader
tippet materials which are thin monofilament nylon lines used by
anglers.
BACKGROUND
Fly-fishing anglers employ fine, barely visible lines, or "leaders"
between an artificial fly and a much heavier fly line in order to
help fool a fish into taking the fly. Leaders have evolved from
strands of knotted horsehair back in medieval times, through an era
of silkworm gut in the 1800's and early 1900's to the present era
of nylon monofilament developed by DuPont in 1938.
Anglers have always had the need to store the leader materials in
their tackle bags or vests while on the stream. During the silkworm
gut era, leaders were commonly stored in tin boxes which contained
dampened felt pads to keep the materials pliable. (See, for example
U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,944 to Greggains). Since the development of
nylon monofilament, leader materials have almost universally been
stored on plastic spools. Anglers generally carry several spools of
leader "tippet" materials in different line diameters to match
streamside needs.
Having to carry several spools creates issues for the angler. If
the spools are all located in one pocket, the angler has to "fish"
for the size he wants, typically getting the wrong size at first
and having to repeat the process until he gets the right one. If
the spools are separated and given a designated spot in a vest
pocket or bag, then the angler must, of course, buy and use such a
vest or bag. However, unless the angler is very well organized in
his life style and goes fishing frequently, he or she will likely
forget which pocket contains which size material.
Further, the additional bulk of the angler's gear created by a
multiplicity of spools is quite undesirable in view of the
typically large number of other accessories he or she carries
including fly boxes, fly and fly line floatants, split shot, strike
indicators, clippers hemostats, sunglasses, landing net, wading
staff, etc.
The angler's issues continue once the correct spool is found. The
end of the tippet material is supposed to be readily visible and
easy to grasp but this unfortunately is not always the case. The
elastic bands on the spools which are used to keep the material
from unspooling when not in use often obscure the leader material
ends. Finding the end requires removal of the band and searching
for the end which is usually concealed among the remaining coils of
material. Removal of the elastic band and accessing the leader end
sometimes requires a pick-like tool since the width of the spool is
too narrow to get a thumb and a finger into the spool to grasp the
leader end. If the band is not put back in place a mess of
unspooled, troublesome leader material ends often results. Further,
bands not restored to the spool are destined to get lost.
One solution to this issue has been offered by some suppliers of
tippet material in the form of an elastic band with built-in eyelet
through which the tippet end is fed. See, for example, U.S. Pat.
No. 6,792,712 to Houg-Blymer. While this constitutes an
improvement, at times the elastic band can be inadvertently rotated
on the spool causing the leader end to disappear, making the
original problem return.
A further issue with elastic bands is that they are opaque,
preventing a view of the remaining amount of material left on the
spool. The angler's discovery of an empty tippet spool at a
critical time on the stream can be a very upsetting experience.
Attempts at better organization in storing tippet material include
U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,223 to Ostenberg et al.; U.S. Pat. No.
7,963,476 to Hemkens et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,624 to
Yavitz.
All of the above inventions fail to achieve compactness and
actually promote the problem of gear bulk by stacking the spools
one on top of the other. A thick stack of spools precludes easy
insertion into and removal of the spool stack from the vest
pocket.
Both Hemkens' and Ostenberg's devices require expensive injection
molding for manufacture resulting in either a higher product sell
price or unacceptably low profit margin when only small to medium
size production quantities are anticipated.
Hemkens' device appears to be more focused on the sales display and
marketing aspects of the device rather than on the angler's
streamside needs.
Ostenberg's device provides access to the tippet material end for
grasping, whereas no similar provision is indicated by Hemkens.
Neither of the above Ostenberg or Hemkens devices provides a means
for quickly identifying line sizes in the spool stacks. Only the
endmost spools reveal labeling on their side panels.
The issue of fishing vest pocket bulk created by stacked spools has
been addressed by inventions for pinning or clipping the spool
stack onto the vest or attaching the stack to a neck lanyard. See,
for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,947 to Tomlinson. The stack of
spools then dangles free possibly amid other dangling accessories
the angler already employs. This creates increased potential for
line tangles or fishing gear snags as the angler passes through
streamside bushes and trees. Dangling devices inevitably snag on
other objects, as well, and often get lost. All gear is ideally
stored inside pockets to preclude loss and snagging of gear.
These and other solutions to the problem of leader tippet storage
are predicated on a very questionable premise, namely, that the
leader necessarily has to be stored on spools. The belief
underlying this premise is that the leader must be straight when it
is removed from the storage device, be it a spool or other device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,233 to Ostenberg et al. illustrates this point
through the incorporation of a mechanism for uncurling the leader
as it comes off the spool. Contrary to this view are the following
facts: (a) Modern day tippet materials are much softer and more
supple than those of years ago and therefore exhibit much less
leader memory, the characteristic that results in curling and
kinking. (b) Residual curls or kinks in the material after removal
from the storage device are of no consequence in streamer, wet fly
or nymph fishing since the weight of the fly and terminal rig
combined with the force of the stream current remove any
memory-induced slack from the leader. (c) Curling and kinking
naturally disappear when the leader is in use. (This is not true of
the "pig tailing" issue that exists in the material near the
knotted fly but this is an issue independent of leader storage
device.) (d) A non-straight leader is actually highly desirable for
presentation of the fly in dry fly fishing so as to avoid any trace
of cross-current drag in presentation of the fly, as taught by the
renown fly-fishing expert, George Harvey, long time professor of
fly-fishing at Penn State University. (e) Commercially available
leader straighteners are available for those who nonetheless insist
on fishing with straight leaders. (f) Curls or kinks in the leader
can be largely removed by simply pulling the leader taut with the
hands as when snugging up the knot after tying on a fly or tying
two tippet pieces together.
Other leader storage systems achieve compactness by foregoing
spools, and instead, store the leaders on thin, card-like
devices.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,080 to Wallace is intended for
storage of both leader terminal hardware and leader as a unit. It
is slim, compact, and has dedicated storage space for four
different leader materials in ample quantities, and, desirably,
provides visibility of remaining amounts of material. However, the
leader retention method, slotted pegs inserted into holes in the
board compromise the inherent compactness of the board by jutting
out of the surface thereby impeding insertion into and removal from
a pocket. Further, the pegs being non-captive to the board are
prone to loss. A further very important disadvantage is that if the
device is used without hooks or swivels, as it would be for
fly-fishing tippet materials, then there is no means provided to
quickly and easily grasp the tippet material ends. The tippet
material would lie flush with the surface of the board making it
extremely difficult to grasp without a pick-like tool. In addition
no means is provided for identifying the various leader sizes held
on the card.
Other card-like leader storage devices include U.S. Pat. No.
966,609 to Shannon and U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,114 to Warner. Shannon's
device satisfies the need for slimness and compactness but works
only for leaders with hooks attached and therefore is
unsatisfactory for the storage of leader tippet material. Warner's
device is also compact and card-like. It can store leader materials
without hooks, swivels or other hardware attached. It embodies,
slimness and compactness but lacks the fundamental attribute,
however, of being able to neatly store large amounts of leader
material of different sizes in a neat, compartmentalized manner. It
is not streamlined for easy, snag-free insertion into and removal
from a pocket.
None of the devices described in the above referenced patents
possesses all of the features of the ideal, leader tippet storage
device, namely: (1) slim, compact size for slipping easily into and
out of a shirt or vest pocket (2) storage of four or more leader
tippet sizes on a single device, each with its own dedicated area
for storage (3) tippet material lengths equal to or greater than
current tippet spools (30 m) (4) labeling which allows unambiguous,
quick identification of leader tippet sizes (5) quick and easy
finding and grasping of leader tippet ends (6) easy tippet material
removal and length measuring capability (7) secure retention of
tippet ends to prevent unraveling when not in use (8) readily
changeable size labels (9) complete visibility of the amounts of
tippet material remaining in all sizes (10) capability to firmly
secure the ends of very fine tippet materials, e.g. 7.times. (11)
simplicity in design and low cost in manufacture
SUMMARY
A compact shirt pocket size device is disclosed for neatly and
securely storing multiple leader tippet materials of various sizes,
and permitting easy identification and grasping of leader ends for
removal of the material from the device. In preferred embodiments
the tippet storage device includes a card shaped base with
corresponding notch pairs in the top and bottom edges into which a
leader may be wound. The beginning end of the leader may be
captured and held in place by additional coils of leader wrapped
over the beginning end. Alternatively, structure may be provided to
secure the beginning end to the base. The trailing end of the
leader would be captured to be conveniently secured to the base.
Preferably, a slit in the top edge of the base communicates with a
recess into which a leader retaining pad is mounted, so that the
leader end may be inserted through the slit into a cut in the pad
so that the leader is removably held in place with no loose ends. A
surface recess such as a size label recess is contemplated over
which the leader end extends at an angle spaced from the wound
leader coils disposed in the notches to reach the slit. Thus, the
leader end is conveniently disposed over a recess in the surface of
the base to facilitate grasping by the user to remove the leader
end from the retaining pad for unwinding a desired length of
leader.
In use, a leader to be stored is wound around the base in coils
wrapped into a corresponding notch pair. The end of the leader is
disposed across the base surface recess and the leader end is
inserted into the slit into the retention pad to secure the leader
in place. Preferably, the recess or base contains marking(s)
identifying the leader size. The base has rounded corners and the
retention pad is recessed into the base so there are no loose or
sharp edges to catch on clothing, such as if the device is to be
stored in a pocket.
When it is desired to remove a section of leader, the device is
removed from the pocket or other storage location, the leader end
is conveniently grasped at the recess and pulled free of the
retention pad, and the desired length of leader is unwound from the
base. Once the desired length has been cut off, the remaining
trailing end may be inserted through the slit into the retention
pad so that the leader remains easy to access should the need for
additional leader of that size arise.
In preferred embodiments notch pairs, slits and retention pads for
a plurality of leaders are provided on a single base card. Further,
labeling may be provided, possibly in a label recess that
facilitates grasping the leader, to identify the size leader
associated with a given notch pair.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The appended drawings constitute part of the disclosure and are
meant to illustrate but not limit the invention.
FIG. 1A is a shaded model perspective view of a leader tippet
storage device in accordance with an embodiment;
FIG. 1B illustrates front and rear views of the device of FIG.
1A;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view with parts separated, of the
embodiment of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the embodiment of FIG. 1A
holding four leaders; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cut-away view of a portion of FIG. 3, showing
details of the leader retention mechanism and convenient access for
grasping the leader.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the
drawings, which form and constitute apart of the disclosure, and in
which like reference numerals are used to designate like parts. In
accordance with the disclosure, an improved line storage device 100
for storing leader tippet materials is provided. Line storage
device 100 includes a card-like base 10 having front and back
surfaces, side edges and top and bottom edges notch pairs 11 cut
into the top and bottom edges in aligned arrangement, slits 12 cut
in to the top edge adjacent each top edge notch 11, a size label
recess 14 and leader retention pad recesses 16. Leader retention
pads 13 are fixed into the leader retention pad recesses and leader
size labels 15 are affixed in the size label recess. FIG. 1B shows
the front surface and rear surface of base 10 in side by side
fashion.
Base 10 is sized and shaped to permit easy insertion and removal of
the device from a shirt or fishing vest pocket. Dimensions are
nominally 4 inches high by 3 inches wide by 1/8 inch thick. Base
thinness, of 1/8 inch or thereabouts, and rounded corners 17
facilitate insertion and removal from a pocket, as do base 10 edge
chamfers which run around the periphery of both sides of the
device. The small size, round corners, and chamfers of base 10 make
the device easy and comfortable to hold, being similar in this
respect to the size and shape of traditional playing cards. Base 10
may be made of wood, plastic or any other material of sufficient
rigidity to prevent base 10 from buckling when the leader materials
are wound onto it and as the device is handled by the user. If made
from wood, strong hard woods with the grain oriented along the long
dimension of base 10 are preferred.
Notch pairs 11 in the top and bottom edges of the base 10 may have
a width of 0.125 inches and depth of 0.150 in. Notches of such
dimensions have been found to be sufficient to store full 30 meter
lengths of tippet materials in sizes 3.times. through 6.times.,
which satisfies most of the needs of a large majority of fresh
water anglers. The notch pairs 11 may be evenly spaced across the
length of the top and bottom edges of the base, i.e., the width of
the base, resulting in spacing of four notches along the edges of
about 0.60 inches. As shown, base 10 may include 4 notch pairs 11
to accommodate four different tippet sizes, while allowing
sufficient space between the stored materials for easy access to
the leader ends secured by retention pads 13.
Size label recess 14 provides the free space necessary between the
surface of base 10 and leader strand 19 to permit easy grasping of
the leader by the user's fingers, as shown in FIG. 4. A depth of
about 0.060 in. for recess 14 from the face of the base is
satisfactory to accomplish this. Without the free space provided by
recess 14, very fine leader strands, for example 6.times. (0.004
in, diameter) would be extremely difficult to grasp with the
fingers. The width of recess 14 across the length of base 10 is
similarly governed by the space necessary for the fingers to
penetrate into recess 14 to grasp leader strand 19. A width of
recess 14 of about 0.50 in. is believed to be ample in this regard.
Recess 14 length, nominally 2.30 in., spans all leader strands 19
of all stored materials, allowing easy access to all. Of course,
individual label recesses could be provided for each leader rather
than providing one continuous recess across all leaders.
Recess 14 also protects size label 15, typically an adhesive backed
label, from snagging and being torn away by objects in the pocket
containing tippet card 100 or from day-to-day wear and tear.
Labels 15 can be replaced by the user and customized to his or her
preference. The 0.50 in. recess 14 width conveniently accepts
labels made from office labelmakers as well as computer printed
labels. Labels 15 can be annotated with further information desired
by some anglers including leader material purchase date, type and
manufacturer.
Slits 12 guide leader ends 20 into leader retention pads 13 and are
nominally 0.010 in. wide, 0.175 in. long and fully penetrate base
10 from the adjacent edge to the retention pad recess. Slits 12 are
narrow enough to accurately guide leader ends 20 into retention pad
slits 21 and wide enough to accept leader sizes up to 1.times.
(0.010 in.). Slits 12 begin at the top edge of base 10 and
terminate at the points of tangency with pads 13.
Leader ends 20 are drawn into retention pad slits 21 of retention
pads 13 and locked in place by the compressive forces exerted by
elastomeric retention pads 13. Retention pad slits 21 possess
virtually no width since they are created with a thin blade which
removes virtually no material from pad 13.
Referring to FIG. 4, slit 21 extends diagonally through pad 13 in
the plane located midway between the two planes defined by the
walls of slit 12. Slit 21 may be created by inserting a thin
cutting blade into slit 12 and rotating it through pad 13 until the
edge of the blade arrives at the lower end of pad 13.
Leader retention pad 13 is nominally about 0.25 in. in diameter and
0.100 in depth. The retention pad upper surface is flush with the
top surface of base 10 and its lower surface preferably is in
contact with the flat surface of retention pad recess 16. Pad 13 is
secured to base 10 either by the compressive forces of a forced fit
or by a cement which should be compatible with both the elastomeric
material of pad 13 and material of base 10. Pads 13 can be die cut
from rubber sheet or be sliced from rubber cord of approximately
the same diameter as recess 16. The rubber cord is sliced off flush
with the top surface of base 10 after insertion into recess 16,
following application of cement to recess 16. Alternative materials
for the pad 13 are contemplated, such as polymeric materials with
suitable elastomeric properties.
In one embodiment, base slits 12 align collinearly with pad slits
21. Further, slits 21 preferably pass through the center points of
pads 13. Base slits 12 and pads 13 are located midway between
adjacent notch pairs 11 so that a leader strand 19 runs diagonally
from lower notch 11 to pad 13, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Leader
strand 19 thereby, very desirably, becomes separated from leader
coils 18 and lies approximately midway between adjacent sets of
coils 18 at the point where strand 19 crosses size label marking
15. This configuration makes the leader strands 19 easy to find
since they are well separated from coils 18 and lie midway between
same. Further, leader strands 19 are easy to grasp due to the ample
free space between said strands and the bottoms of recesses 14.
Tippet card 100 manufacturing costs are low due to the use of
inexpensive materials, low number of parts and the need for only
straightforward, simple machining operations. Injection molding is
suitable for base 10 for very large volume production. For small or
medium production lots, manufacture by computer-controlled (NC)
machines is more economical. The low manufacturing costs achieved
thereby achieved result in very substantial product gross margins
for a product in a marketplace not big enough to warrant the costs
of injection molding tooling.
For a description of the operation of tippet card 100 refer to
FIGS. 3 and 4. Leader tippet coils 18 are wound around notch pairs
11, such as by transferring leader tippet materials from
commercially available spools on which they typically are sold.
Spools typically contain 30 meters of material but, advantageously,
greater amounts of material can be loaded onto tippet card 100.
This is particularly useful in the more commonly used tippet sizes.
Winding the leader onto the base in the notches may be performed by
the angler, or it is contemplated that one or more leaders may come
pre-wound onto the base. Both manual and automated winding of
leader material onto the base are contemplated.
After each leader is wound onto the card, the end of the last coil
of coils 18 is held such that leader end 20 may be grasped and
pulled into slit 12 and drawn under tension into pad slit 21,
resulting in leader strand 19 becoming taut and leader end 20
secured in pad 13. Leader end 20 may then be snipped off close to
slit 12 resulting in a neat tippet card 100, free of loose,
uncontrolled leader ends which can be troublesome for the angler.
Optionally, the leader tag at the beginning end of coils 18 can be
snipped off near notch 11 for neatness. The beginning end of the
leader may be captured and held to the card by overwinding the
coils of the leader over the beginning end. Alternatively, a
structure may be provided to capture the beginning end and holding
it to the base, such as, for example, by providing a recessed pad
similar to pad 13 at the bottom of the base adjacent each notch to
receive and hold the beginning end of the leader.
When the angler desires a particular length of tippet material he
or she grasps leader strand 19 at the point where it crosses size
marker 15 and pulls it directly up in a direction perpendicular to
base 10, thereby freeing leader end 21 from its housed position in
pad 13.
The angler then measures off the desired amount of leader material
by counting the number of coils removed and then multiplying by 8
inches, the straight line length of a single coil. Thus, if a 24
inch tippet is desired, the angler unwinds 3 coils. The remaining
leader is then secured back into retention pad 13 and the 24 inch
tippet length is cut off near slit 12, as described above.
An additional feature which can be added to tippet card 100 is a
built-in cutter for snipping off leader ends 20. This can be
accomplished in a number of different ways. One way is to saw a
slit into an edge of base 10, cut a V-notch on the edge of base 10
at the location of the slit, followed by the insertion of a thin
razor blade-like component which would be force fitted or otherwise
secured into the slit. The desired leader tippet length would be
cut off by drawing it down into the notch with slit containing the
blade. Since the blade would be recessed from the edge of base 10
and buried within same there would be no danger of cutting oneself
or of cutting objects in the pocket where tippet card 100 is
stored.
Some users may prefer to clip card 100 to a lanyard rather than
keep it in a pocket, in which case a hole of suitable diameter to
accept the lanyard clip can be bored into an open corner space of
card 100.
Base 10, if made from wood, can receive a water-resistant finish of
varnish, paint or other substance including teak or tung oil.
Adhesive-backed product logo label or other manufacturer's labels
can be applied to the front or rear or both surfaces of tippet card
100.
Laser-etched or wood burned permanent labeling can be substituted
for the above adhesive-backed labels.
Alternative embodiments of tippet card 100 exist which comprise
many of the features of the main embodiment described above but
which may differ in size and material make-up.
A saltwater fishing version of tippet card 100 might employ a base
10 made from a material other than wood, for example marine
aluminum, to withstand the harsher saltwater environment. The much
larger diameter leaders used in saltwater fishing would dictate a
change in leader retention pad 13 size and pad slit 21 width.
Additional width in slit 21 might now require pad 13 material
removal for even the smallest diameter saltwater leader to be
encountered. Corresponding changes to the width of base slits 12
would be required. The much greater diameter of saltwater leaders
would further dictate an enlargement of notches 11 in order to
achieve an ample amount of leader storage and base 10 size would
likely be increased also to extend the distance between notch pairs
11 in order to achieve greater leader storage capacity.
A greater number of tippet sizes can be stored on tippet card 100
by increasing the number of notch pairs 11, and corresponding
slits, 12 and pads 13. This, of course, would be at the expense of
reduced handling ease and ease of inserting and removing from a
shirt or vest pocket.
A lesser number of stored tippet sizes and correspondingly reduced
card 100 width is of course possible by simply not including the
leftmost or rightmost pairs of notches 11, associated slits 12, and
pads 13. In accordance with the present disclosure, at least one
notch pair, one slit and one retention pad is contemplated,
although a plurality of notch pairs, slits and retention pads is
preferred. The retention pads may be silicone rubber, or any other
elastomeric material suitable for insertion into the retention pad
recess and to receive and hold the end of the leader.
If the number of stored tippet sizes is only one, a system of
interchangeable single-size cards can be devised with suitable
means for linking together to maintain the
"all-leaders-in-one-place" feature of tippet card 100.
Tippet card 100 can alternately be adapted by the angler to store
full leaders, typically, tapered leaders between 7 and 15 ft. in
length as well as to temporarily store damaged tippets in need of
repair.
Advantages of tippet card 100 not found in combination in any of
the prior tipped storage system include: 1. slim, compact size for
slipping easily into and out of a shirt or vest pocket 2. storage
of four or more leader tippet sizes on a single device, each with
its own dedicated area for storage 3. tippet material lengths equal
to or greater than currently available tippet spools (30 m) 4.
labeling which allows unambiguous, quick identification of leader
tippet sizes 5. quick and easy finding and grasping of leader
tippet ends. 6. easy tippet material removal and length measuring
capability 7. secure retention of tippet ends to prevent unraveling
when not in use 8. readily changeable size labels 9. complete
visibility of the amounts of tippet material remaining in all sizes
10. capability to firmly secure the ends of very fine tippet
materials, e.g. 7.times., 8.times. 11. simplicity in design and
resultant low cost in manufacture 12. easy design adaptability to
related applications
Accordingly, the reader will see that the leader tippet card means
for storing leaders offers advantages far beyond any such device
shown in the prior art and further is revolutionary in the field of
angling accessories. The current approach for storing several
leader materials of different sizes by stacking leader spools one
on top of the other is not only cumbersome and inconvenient for the
angler on the stream but is inherently inelegant and void of
creative thinking. The leader tippet card now allows the angler to
carry multiple leader tippet sizes on a slim device which slips
easily into and out of a shirt pocket instead of pinning a bulky
stack of dangling spools onto a fishing vest.
The leader tippet card further allows for the immediate finding and
grasping of the ends of the tippet materials desired by the angler.
Clear large letter size labeling is always in sight and the
retained leader end is very easy to grasp by virtue of the size
label recess feature.
In contrast, the leader material size identification in a stack of
spools is limited to just the end spool, and not always then
because of obscuration of the label on the side of the spool. No
means exists for the clear identification of leader sizes on the
spools buried in the stack. Grasping the end of a leader issuing
from a stack of spools can be difficult especially if it
accidentally disappears beneath the elastic retaining ring of the
spool. No such issue exists with the leader tippet card since
rubber retention pads keep the ends firmly secured in place and are
easily found and never obscured by a band or other device.
The presence of the elastic retainer precludes seeing the remaining
amount of leader on the spool setting the angler up for
disappointment to discover such condition at an inopportune time.
On the other hand, with the leader tippet card, remaining amounts
of all sizes of tippet materials are clearly and immediately
viewable.
Simplicity in design and low cost in manufacture make the tippet
card a very viable product. Not only does the device meet all the
angler's needs as described above, but it also can be manufactured
immediately without special tooling, long development time and
large costs. Consisting basically of only two different components,
a base made of common hardwood, for example, and four tiny
identical rubber pads, the tippet card component costs are almost
negligible contributors to the product's total costs. The principal
manufacturing cost is from performing the various machining
operations, the latter being accomplished straightforwardly with
standard shop equipment with very small unit total machining times.
Thus, the resultant low manufacturing costs combined with a likely
product sell price several times greater than the manufacturing
costs create a very attractive business prospect.
Although the description above contains many specific descriptions
and uses of the leader tippet card, these should not be construed
as setting limits on possible variations of the design and
modification of its use. For example, while the impetus for the
leader tippet card concept has been the improvement of leader
storage for anglers, the same concept can be extended to the
storage of line types other than leader tippets. These may include
threads, flosses, wires, crewels, yarns, sutures, filaments of
various types, etc. In these adaptations, modifications to the
device analogous to those mentioned for a saltwater version of the
leader storage device would be implemented.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that variations may be made
from the specific construction and arrangements described herein,
and that such variations and alterations in arrangement are
contemplated and within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *